Missing Piece
by Raven Forgotten
Summary: The Doctor and Donna get a message from Jack; which turns out to be far more than anyone expected. Will the Doctor be able to protect the Earth, his friends, and, most importantly, his past?
1. Chapter 1

A regular morning in the Tardis. Well, considering they were flying through the vortex outside of time, it couldn't really be considered morning. Though, the two on board, since just waking up, well, the human at least, the other had been up for quite a while longer, they considered it morning.

"Where should we go to this time?" the Doctor asked, dancing around the controls, attempting to keep the cabin shakes to a minimum.

"You're asking me? Aren't you the one with all the know-how?" Donna questioned with a smirk. "Besides, you know we always go where you or this crazy ship of yours want to."

"Oh, that's not fair! We've gone places you've picked; haven't we?" the Doctor said, directing the last bit to the ship, giving the console a pat. "Remember, we went to that spa."

"No. I've been asking to go to a spa; we've never actually gone."

"Right." He rubbed the back of his head. "Well, I've been looking. I've actually thought about going to this one; the planet is completely exotonic, not a thing capable of living there; but they've set up this little tourist destination: spa, tours, little shops, and a shuttle ride to a waterfall made of diamonds."

"Are we actually going there or have you something else in mind?"

"We've just got a few quick stops to make first."

Donna groaned, leaning on the rail for emphasis. "Alright. Lay it on me; what is it?"

The Doctor pulled out his psychic paper, flipping it open and showing her. "I got a message."

Doctor,

We require your assistance;

there's a surprise in it for

you.

Jack ;)

"Who's Jack?" Donna asked, "and is that a winkey face at the end?"

"Ah that's Jack for ya; he's an old friend of mine."

"Ooooooo. What kind of friend, Doctor?"

"Not like THAT!"

"I'm just kiddin' around!" She nudged him. "Come on, let's get this over with."

* * *

"So, can you help me?"

"Depends on what you're asking," Jack flirted, but was only replied with a look. His smile dropped slightly. "Right. Look, I'm not even sure what it is. I don't know what you want me to do with it."

"I don't want you to do anything with it; I want you to contact the Doctor."

"See and there's another thing. If you've met the Doctor then you know how to contact him; so why are you needing to go through me? If find you incredibly suspicious; sexy, but suspicious."

The comment seemed ignored. "He left before I could get a chance to reach him again. When I bought this thing I asked around if to see if anyone knew him; they all thought I was mad; they said Time Lords didn't exist. So I switched gears and asked if anyone knew someone with knowledge of devices like this. They thought I was mad about that too, but whatever. Anyways, your name came up, several times. Someone said you were on Earth; so here I am."

"There you are." There was a pause. "Well, I suppose I could call him. It's not like he doesn't have time. I just hope we're not wasting it by making him look at this pile of scrap."

"It's not scrap; I told you what it is."

"That's not the way it's looking, sweetheart."

"Just message the Doctor."

Over in the next room the Tardis's noise echoed loudly in the nearly empty warehouse. Jack stood and sprinted over to it.

Inside, a final shudder finally brought the Tardis still once more.

"Are we there?" Donna asked, who was still holding on the railing.

"I think so," the Doctor said, "Let's go have a look!"

The Doctor ran down the ramp and pulled on his coat, almost forgetting that Donna was even there. He paused and waited for her before opening the doors and stepping out.

"Doctor!" Jack shouted, reaching the two and lunging towards the Doctor for a hug. The Doctor stood there, giving a quick pat on the back before pushing him off.

"Hello Jack. What's this big suprise you got for me?"

"Oh, what's the fun in a surprise if I don't hold it from you?" He noticed Donna, giving her a quick smile. "Hello."

"Hi-hiya," Donna giggled, instantly melting; the Doctor raised an eyebrow. "Aren't cha going to introduce us, Doctor?"

"Right..." He still had that look. "Donna Noble." He waved a hand and waved it back. "Captain Jack Harkness. Jack." He repeated the motion the other way. "Donna."

"He didn't tell me you were a captain." Donna took a step closer.

"I certainly am."

"Can we get on with this?" the Doctor interrupted, stuffing one hand into his pocket and motioning out the door with the other. He waited for a moment before wandering off without them.

"Wait Doctor! I haven't filled you in yet!" The Doctor had already gone into the next room, which turned out to be already inhabited.

"Hello Dad!"


	2. Chapter 2

Hours earlier...

The irritating screech of an alarm clock sounded and was quickly shut off using the snooze.

Ten minutes past far faster than Simon had wished for and all too soon the alarm sounded again. He clicked it off again and reluctantly dragged himself out of bed. Why did interviews had to be so early in the morning?

After a quick shower and a light breakfast, he grabbed his equipment bag and headed out, deciding to walk and give his hair a chance to dry. He didn't really expect that he'd need his bag, but his camera rarely left his side and today was going to be no exception.

He was hopeful about this new job; well, hopeful that he wouldn't get fired over his clumsiness again, his last one ending up with the boss with a crotch full of hot coffee and a dry-cleaning bill for an obscene amount. He'll still be a cameraman; though, unlike the last place, this broadcaster was much smaller, more local, and with luck that meant they were much more forgiving.

Simon reached the building and went in. There was a small lobby: two couches, a coffee table, reception desk, the basics. Seeing coffee on a small table in the corner, Simon gladly poured himself some. He checked the appointment with the receptionist and sat on one of the couches. He was called in a few minutes later.

"Mr. Kersley, Ms. Williams will see you now."

"Thank you," Simon said, sounding way more confident than he was actually feeling. He stood and was led down a narrow hall to a door labeled "Williams". This was the do-or-die moment; he could still screw this up. Expecting the worst, he opened the door and stepped in.

"Simon Kersley? Please take a seat."

_"She seems nice enough..._" Simon thought.

* * *

"Hello Dad!"

Nothing that went through the Doctor's head was making sense.

_"Jenny? Alive? That can't be. There's no way! I saw her die. It can't...no...It's insane. Regenerate? No. No. She was too much like me, a paradox. It couldn't happen. Martha said she was dead... Then again... No. She was dead. Well... Maybe...? No. But she's here? It's not even possible!"_

When he finally did speak, it was far from an actual greeting. "Wa-What... Jenny?"

Jenny seemed a bit confused by the stammer, "Yeah Dad?"

By this time, Donna and Jack were already caught up.

"No way!" Donna shouted.

"What's wrong?" Jack asked.

Donna approached the Doctor, taking a sleeve and saying a bit softer, "Doctor, how is that even possible?"

"I'm not sure," the Doctor replied, not taking his eyes off Jenny.

"How 'bout you ask me?" Jenny questioned, sounding a little annoyed, "instead of staring at me like I'm some sort of ghost?"

"Jenny, how are you here?" the Doctor asked.

"Will someone please tell me what the hell is going on?" Jack shouted.

"But you died! You can't just come back to life and end up here!" Donna exclaimed to her.

"Well you're in the wrong crowd," Jack commented half-under his breath.

"I obviously did..." Jenny answered. "Though, I don't think I ever really "died", more like a minor shutdown, but with a bit more yellow." She was sounding very Doctor-like. "But, if you're asking how I got here as in 'Earth', I hitched a ride."

"What do you mean 'a bit more yellow'?" the Doctor asked.

"I woke up with chest pains and was burping up some sort of yellow stuff." She shrugged, but appeared a bit embarrassed. "Heh- Weird, right?"

"Not at all really..." The Doctor approached her, pulling out his sonic and scanning her.

"But that sounds like-" Jack started. "Doctor, is she-?"

"Not quite," the Doctor interrupted, finishing his sonicing and examining it.

"What do you mean not quite?! I'm just as much as a Time Lord as you! You said so!" Jenny said.

"Your bio-structure is telling me otherwise. "You seem to have a few misplaced genes; only getting half-regenerations... I suppose that's to be expected."

"Oh, who even cares?" Donna jumped in. "Honestly Doctor, Jenny comes back and the first thing you do is sonic her?"

"Well it's a bit too good to be true! She could have easily been something else!" the Doctor started, he turned to Jenny. "But, seeing as you are genuine. I suppose I could put down the sonic." He smiled, giving the sonic a click and putting it in his pocket. Jenny returned the grin and went in for a hug though, unlike Jack's, and much to his notice, the Doctor returned this one.

"So...Time Lady," Jack said, nudging Jenny after the hug. "How about you help me check that one off the list?"

"Hands off, Jack," the Doctor warned.

Jack put up his hands. "Alright Doctor, I get it; last of your species and all."

Before he could even recognize the horrified expression on the Doctor face, Donna's hand was already making contact with the back of his head.

"Ow!" His hand flew up to the spot. "What the hell was that for!?"

"Do you know how absolutely disgusting that is?!"

"Why?! What's the matter?"

"That's his_ daughter_ you idiot!"

"How exactly was I supposed to know that?" He used the other hand to motion to the Doctor. "And when did that happen? More importantly, who's this lucky lady that cut in front of me!"

"That's not how it happened!" the Doctor shouted a bit louder than necessary, his face a little red.

"Wow...I thought you said you two weren't like that," Donna smirked.

He made a face. "Absolutely not; and that topic is the last thing I will ever discuss with anyone." He sighed, wiping a hand down his face and taking a moment to recollect. He motioned to Jenny. "She's a Progeneration Clone. Created from splitting cells into a new organism. She's technically only a month old."

"That's all I needed to know. Don't get yourself so worked up Doctor," Jack said, chuckling and giving him a pat on the shoulder.

The Doctor sighed. "If we could please just get back to our original topic."

"Oh right! I haven't even sent the message yet." He pulled out his own paper and mentally wrote the note, putting it back into his pant's pocket when he finished. "There we go! All set. The item is in the next room; I'll drag it out for you if you just want to wait."

Jenny spoke first when Jack left the room, looking quite doe-eyed. "Dad, what was Jack talking about that made you upset?"

For a very rare moment, the Doctor was lost for words. "Uhhh...well...Donna!" He quickly spun around to her. "Donna this is...girly...stuff...you do that! I'm- i'm gonna go help Jack."

"Oi! You're the dad; you do it!" Donna shouted, but the Doctor had left far too quickly to hear any of it. She focused back on Jenny, groaning. "Why did they choose weapons over_ that_ when they programmed you?"


	3. Chapter 3

Jack pushed the short object to the center of the room, the Doctor following.

"Ta da!" Jack presented, kicking the metal box in front of him.

The box was a little over a meter high, metallic, with a tarnished dark grey colour, and completely beat to hell. There were dents and scratches on every side and corner. In some places, huge holes had been punched through it, though nothing inside could be seen.

"What the hell is that supposed to be?" Donna asked, wondering what kind of loon would call the Doctor just to examine a beat up metal box.

Jack explained, "Jenny thinks it's a-"

"Tardis," the Doctor said flatly. He took a few steps closer and crouched down, pulling out his sonic again.

"Yeah. How did you know?" Jenny asked.

"'Cause it is," the Doctor said as he flipped his screwdriver off and stuffed it back into his coat pocket.

"There's no way!" Donna stated. "How could you even get into it?"

"I have to agree; it's just scrap," Jack said.

"Oh, she's just a little beat up is all," the Doctor said back, standing up.

"Then why is it a box?" Donna asked.

"Doesn't know what to be yet. Besides, if she's damaged, appearance isn't exactly a priority."

"See, I told you Jack," Jenny said with a smug smile.

"What are we gonna do with it?" Donna asked.

"Before we start anything," the Doctor instructed. "We should get her with my Tardis; she's probably very unsettled and it should put her at ease some."

Jack went back to the cube again and pushed it into the room they began. Upon seeing the cube, the Doctor's Tardis hummed excitedly.

"So this is your ship then?" Jenny asked, standing in front of the Doctor's Tardis. "I can see why you two didn't think mine was real." She looked over at Donna and Jack.

"What do we do now?" Donna asked.

"Well, the presence of another Tardis should have calmed her down enough that I can open it without it locking up...or worse," the Doctor said walking closer to the cube.

"How are you gonna do that?" Jenny asked, also stepping closer.

"It'll take some energy, but all I should have to do is touch it, then make it what I want it too. Nothing too fancy; don't want to cause more damage."

The Doctor placed his hand on the battered cube and immediately a bright, yellow light poured through the holes, the Doctor's eyes glowing the same. Slowly, the cube began to stretch into a battered prism, a crease appearing just three centimeters from an edge and running around the face, creating a frame.

The now rectangular Tardis slowly stopped glowing. When the light was completely gone, the Doctor took his hand off but quickly caught himself back on it, obviously a bit worn.

"You all right?!" Jenny asked.

"Fine," he said, pushing himself off once more with a huff. "She just needed a bit more energy than I hoped for, and I'm getting too old for that." He righted himself and now was standing without having to lean, though it was an obvious effort. "Let's see what we've got here." He pushed the cut-out panel and opened the door.

The Tardis was just as beaten on the inside as it was on the out.

Bigger on the inside, this one was much smaller than the Doctor's console room. Through the rubble and fallen wires and beams, they could see the main controls that also looked similar to the Doctor's. It had six panels going around a main tube, but the panels were smaller and the tube looked to be two tubes twisted together that, if operational, would weave around each other. Other than that, the group could not see much of anything else; the only source of light was what was coming from the door and the small green glow coming from the console.

"A 316. Very nice," the Doctor said, trying to make his way through the debris.

"316?" Jenny asked, following.

"Type of Tardis. This type was popular when I was a boy, really kind of a luxury thing though..." He was lost in his thoughts. "Should be safe enough, once we get it fixed."

"You're gonna fix it?" Jenny asked.

"What kind of Tardis do you have, Doctor?" Jack asked, making his way over the stuff to the next relatively clean spot, "Comin' over Donna?"

"I'm fine here, thank you. I don't feel like trying to kill myself today," Donna replied.

"I have a type 40. Old thing. Dated even for the Time Lords, but she's reliable; well, when she needs to be," the Doctor said, now turning to face Jenny. "And not just me Jenny. If this is going to be your Tardis you should help out with some of the work. You two should at least get to know each other."

"You mean I can keep it?" Jenny asked.

"Well, I certainly don't need another one, and it's not like there are any Time Lords to come claim it." He paused, looking the ship over. "I don't see why not." The Doctor smiled.

"Thank you!" Jenny screamed, attempting to leg it the rest of the way but catching her pant leg and falling.

"Watch yourself!" the Doctor warned, meeting her and pulling her up. "And you're welcome. Now!" He rubbed his hands together. "Why don't we get started?"

The Doctor crossed to the controls and started flicking whatever glowing switches he could find until it started to hum.

"Looks like we got something."

A beam of light shot out and began to take shape.

The woman in the hologram looked to be in her late 20s or early 30s, but that was likely not the case. When she first appeared, the Doctor made a quick chuckle, recognizing her face, though his smile quickly faded as the message began to play. When the woman began to speak, three of the four became immediately confused, not understanding what she was saying.

"Mayday, I require assistance from the Gallifreyan High Council. The mission has been compromised. I repeat: The mission has been compromised. This is pilot 97412 requesting help." The Lady stopped as a loud rumble could be heard though the message and the hologram flickered. "Please!" She was sounding more panicked. "I need help! The other pilots have been killed. My Husband...I am the only one left and they're moving fast! I have tried to get back into the vortex but our Tardis-" The rumble noise was stronger this time. "Our Tardis has been damaged. If anyone is getting this transmission-oof!" The hologram flickered once more. She turned around. "No! Stop! Please!" the sound of others yelling was the last thing heard before the woman screamed and the transmission cut off.

Even though Donna, Jack, and Jenny couldn't understand what she was saying, they could tell that something was horribly wrong. The Doctor, having understood the entire thing covered his eyes with this hand and leaned back on what was left of a railing.

"What was she saying Doctor?" Donna asked.

The Doctor removed his hand and looked up, his face stoic. "Nothing. Just a poor soldier who didn't make it away from the mission. Nothing to worry about now." The Doctor flipped a few more switches and turned back around. "There! All gone! Nothing to keep on your minds now." He didn't really seem to be addressing them.

"At the beginning...you seemed like you knew her," Jenny stated.

The Doctor stopped what he was doing, leaving a gaping hole in the conversation before starting again. "Yeah...old friend of mine...always wondered what happened to her after she disappeared. Guess I know now." The Doctor gave a short, one hearted laugh. "Out of all the Tardis's you could could've found..."

"I'm so sorry, Doctor," Donna apologized.

"No use crying over it now. She's been gone for 700 years. Old news." His voice changed to a fake cheeriness, "And all that time this poor thing's been rotting!" He slapped the controls. "Let's bring her back to life!"

"Well, as long as you're all right," Donna said.

"Yup, perfectly fine! Come on, Jenny! Help me with this," As he tried to move a post.

"Here, I'll help with those," Jack said, going over and assisting him so he could get under the console.

"I should probably get some tools from my ship..." the Doctor thought out loud.

"Why don't we just take a break?" Donna suggested. "I can put on the kettle and we can all catch up."

"And I can see the inside of your ship!" Jenny exclaimed, dragging the Doctor up and exiting the Tardis.

For the next hour or so, the Doctor showed Jenny around, even creating a room for her. When lunch was ready, they gathered in the kitchen area to eat.

"...so after I left Messaline, I tried to learn about Time Lords and all that. For some reason, any database or library I checked I kept getting directed to the fantasy or lore sections, and I still didn't find much. The only two things the stories could agree on was that they could travel through time and that Gallifrey was destroyed in this huge war that affected the entire universe. Some of the books directed me to other planets' histories that were affected by the Time Lords; I didn't like looking at those. So what actually happened, Dad?" Jenny said, leaning forward in her chair.

"Maybe later," the Doctor said in the 'I'll tell you when you're older' voice, never looking up from his tea.

Jenny pouted, leaning back. "Anyway, I found the Tardis completely by accident. The ship I stole needed a new booster so I ended up in this market. Luckily they were having a parts auction that day. We were allowed to look at all the stuff beforehand; that's when I noticed that box. I couldn't really put my finger on it at the time, but I felt like I needed to do everything I could to have it. I ended up trading my entire ship for that box." Her face drooped a little. "Afterwards I felt really stupid; I noticed that some people were pointing and laughing, even the woman filling out the paperwork for me couldn't keep a straight face. It wasn't until when I used the it as a table to sign on and actually touched it did I realize what it was; it was perfectly clear...Is that weird?"

"As weird as burping yellow," Donna said, now motioning to the Doctor. "But to spaceman over there I'm sure it's perfectly normal."

"It wouldn't be normal if you didn't notice," the Doctor stated, engaged now. "What's odd is that it took a physical touch for you to know. Time Lords should be able to sense the presence of a Tardis whether it's theirs or not."

"Is there something wrong with me?" Jenny asked, quickly concerned.

"I wouldn't worry about it. Probably just another thing that got a bit wonky in the Progeneration."

"Speaking of," Jack piped in. "How did you exactly end up with a clone daughter anyway?"

"I'm not a clone!" Jenny retorted.

"Well...in a sneaky, 'round-about way, you technically are," the Doctor corrected. "But Progeneration is the rearrangement of DNA instead of the replication of in cloning. As for the wonky bits, considering I have twice as many chromosomes as a normal human, the machine probably couldn't sort out all that information as quickly as it needed without making a few small clips. If you were really wrong, we would have seen it already. So, like I said, nothing to worry about."

Jenny still looked like she would worry, wringing her hands around her cup, but pretended otherwise and changing the topic. "So...what did you guys do?"

"Ohhhh, this and that," Donna took over, "nothing as exciting as we usually do."She nudged the Doctor. "He missed ya too much to think of anything fun."

"Oh, and what happened to Martha?"

"Went home. She was there by accident anyway," the Doctor said.

"Can we go see her sometime?" Jenny asked.

"You can all wait for that," Jack ordered. "She's all wrapped up with UNIT; them and Torchwood aren't exactly on the best of terms. Something about," he used quotation marks, "'overstepping boundaries' and 'not at all procedure'; she called me all in a fuss."

The other three raised an eyebrow, but didn't ask for any details.

"We'll call her later, after we get Jack out of harm's way, of course," Donna said sarcastically. She looked down at her mug. "Is everyone done with tea?"


	4. Chapter 4

700 years ago...

"If anyone is getting this transmission-"

A slam sent the woman flying into the console. The heavy door fell, rocking the entire ship; droves of people flooded through and surrounded the woman.

"No! Stop! Please!" the woman begged; but her pleas were ignored. One of the intruders raised his gun, firing. She screamed, raising her hands to cover her face, but the shot wasn't for her. The bullet hit the console, cutting off her transmission and any way of sending for help.

She made a break for it, though in vain as one of the soldiers grabbed an arm and zapped her with an electrode rod. She grunted, falling to her soldier pointed a gun, waiting for orders. A third soldier approached, though, according to his uniform, he was a much higher rank than everyone else.

"Please! We were only trying to help!" The woman cried.

"In return for what?" The decorated soldier questioned, but he wasn't waiting for an answer."Don't think for a minute we don't know what you people are trying to do. We know what's coming. Trying to create favors in order to save your own arses isn't going to help any. And for something you caused almost three centuries ago!" He chuckled. "I have to say, if it weren't for you bugs' constant harassment, seeing you stoop to such pathetic grounds would be very refreshing."

"I- I don't know what you're talking about!" the woman responded.

The man kneeled to look her in the eye. "You really don't, do you? Is Rassilon keeping the oracles all to himself?"

A moment of silence passed before she spoke again. "Why don't you just kill me already?"

He grinned. "You must be so confused. Truth is-" He stood. "You're more valuable to us alive than dead; believe me, if I had my way, you would already be staining the floor. We just want information."

"I won't tell you a thing. You'll just kill me anyway."

"Smart one aren't you?" He slapped her in the face. "Remember, we still have this ship of yours; it would be a shame if someone were to come across it."

"Nothing I tell you will make any difference!"

The man sighed. "And to think your life could have ended so much differently... That's the problem with you Time Lords: far too proud to save even yourself." He turned, the wall of soldiers parting to create a path. "We have nothing more to do here, finish her."

The woman didn't cry.

The soldier raised his gun.

Bang.

* * *

Present day...

"How are the rations keeping in the third sector?" a female said, sitting at the head of the table.

"Not well," a man replied just off to the left. "Though the sudden population rise would normally be a positive affair, what little is left of our food supply is spread far too thin."

"And the relocation of the victims from the radiation pocket of sector two?"

"Were moved to sector three..."

She sighed, rubbing her forehead with her fingertips. "Is there any possibility to send the sector two victims to the fourth?"

Another man spoke up on the right. "Sector four might as well be a dead zone! There's too much ash and static to make radio contact. No one is for certain whether or not those inhabiting the area are even alive!"

"Why wasn't I informed of this?" "

High Commander if I may," a woman spoke to her. "Our ships are ready to go. They're strong enough to last a year without needing to stop. If we could just load the civilians-"

"Even assuming your ships work!" the man on the right cut in. "There is no way we could organize such a large task without at least a week of planning and I don't think any of us believe that this rock's going to last that long!"

"Enough," the Commander demanded. "You didn't allow her to finish." She looked to the woman. "Please continue."

"To calm the General's concerns, we do have a plans made. In fact, I took the liberty of sending the ships to the remaining sectors. Loading should have already commenced."

"Why wasn't I addressed in that arrangement!?" the General steamed.

"As you said, we won't last another week here and I have full confidence in my ships."

A man hurried into the room and handed the High Commander a paper.

"There's no need for lies here," he continued. "We all know those scap-made ships won't last for a fraction of the time you say. I for one will not step a foot on them without a proper destination."

"Then you'll be happy to know you won't be left to the radiation, General," the Commander said, just finishing reading the paper. "It seems we do have a suitable location."

"Bullshit."

"You will control yourself General!" She began again, now addressing the man who handed her the document. "I leave the details to you."

"Thank you, Commander," the researcher said. "This morning, we received a native signal from a distant planet. Upon closer inspection of the signal we found that it was a genuine tracker from an experiment centuries ago; it was a surprise to everyone in the lab that it was still functional. We cross-checked the coordinates and found that there is a planet in a habitable location. The core of the planet is active, but stable."

"Is it inhabited?" the woman asked.

"Most likely. The planet is several billion years old and in a state that would promote such intelligent life, possibly with our likeness. But we won't know for sure how advanced they are without a closer inspection."

"But is it worth it?" the man on the left questioned.

The ground heaved. Several pieces of the ceiling fell, luckily landing away from any of them. The quaking slowly subsided into small non-violent tremors.

"I don't believe we have a choice anymore," the Commander said, bringing her arm down that was protecting herself from rubble. "We must evacuate before it's too late. We will just have to be as reasonable as possible with whatever beings we cross."

"I was just about to mention that," the researcher added, picking himself off the floor.

"What do you mean?" "

It seems our tracker had a vessel. We looked into our remaining records and found that whatever came into the atmosphere that was not useful was attached with a tracker and launched back into space. It was hopped that it would be found and brought or crash to a planet that was suitable and...well, it just so happens that this was a very important vessel...and wasn't activated by normal circumstances...and wasn't useful due to its..."

"Spit it out already!" the General pushed, quite tired of all the tedious explanation.

"Tardis," he finished flatly, looking almost relieved to finish. The room went silent. Everyone just stared at the researcher.

"What sort of sick game are you playing with us?" the General demanded. "You dangle safety in front of us and then tell us that those bastards somehow survived!"

"I'm not playing anything!" the researcher declared. "All I said was that the tracker was attached to a Tardis and it was somehow reactivated. For all we know, it could have found a rift to refuel itself...but it is a definite possibility..."

"That's got to be what happened! It's just the ship!" the woman panicked. "They all died! Remember? We could see it! The energy from the explosion! They were all there! All others were killed! Remember!?"

"Please calm down," the Commander comforted, placing a hand on her arm. "It's almost impossible that any of them could have survived. But our planet is dying, we have to take the chance. Can you still command your ships?" The woman nodded. "Great." She turned to the General. "I want you two to work together; we need to be off as soon as possible."

"We'll be gone before the ash storm at dusk," he said.

The all got up and began exiting the room; the General and Commander lagging a bit further behind.

"High Commander," he began, for once, hushing his voice. "What if there are Time Lords present? What will we do?"

The Commander just grimaced.

* * *

"Hand me the subsonic, will ya?" the Doctor said, lying under the console of Jenny's Tardis.

Jenny rummaged around the small bag he had thrown together, which didn't feel as small when she reached her hand in. She had no idea what she was looking for; she barely knew what a normal sonic screwdriver was. She pulled out a clunky-looking version of his regular one. "Is it this thing?"

He brought his head out and adjusted his glasses for a better view. "Yup. Thanks." He grabbed it, ducking back under. The noise that came from it was a much lower pitch than the normal one.

"Need any help?" Jenny asked, squatting down and joining him; she getting quite bored of just being 'tool girl'.

"Nah. You're fine." He reconnected a few wires, making some of the lights on top of the console light up. His face became confused, pushing the same wires away. "What do we have here?" Reaching up, he dislodged something small from the tangle and got out from under the controls.

"What's that?" She asked.

"I'm not sure." He pulled his real sonic out, making it whirr, and checking the readings when it stopped. "Oh that's odd..."

"Something wrong, Doctor?" Donna asked, her and Jack just coming in.

"It's a tracker," the Doctor said, still eyeing the device.

"Looks pretty low-tech to be in a Tardis," Jack commented.

"That's the problem..." He moved it closer to his face, adjusting the glasses once more. "I would almost guess it looks...Ryfaliean. But that can't be right..."

"Why's that?" Jenny asked.

"The Ryfalieans died out almost a millennium ago, way before this could have been created." He thought, flipping the device a few times in his hand; his expression dropped slightly. "Though, I suppose it makes sense, in a way."

"That doesn't make any sense," Donna stated.

"The planet of Ryfalia once existed in the same galaxy as Gallifrey; they weren't quite as old as us but we were practically sister planets: side by side. Over time though, that slightness of age grew much more; we became more advanced, and they grew more resentful. Started projects at a far higher level than they could handle...led them to total destruction."

"How'd that happen?" Jenny inquired.

"They tried to harness the power of a Tardis...and it imploded." He pulled on the edges of the tracker, popping it open, and using the extra force that caused his hands to fly apart as emphasis to his statement. He started poking at the wires inside. "I suppose, if any part of the planet were to survive, it could be possible for this little stowaway here; though in any case they're gone now, with the state of that planet and all."

"So they'd be the ones that killed your friend in the hologram?" Jenny asked.

His eye twitched slightly, responding flatley. "Yeah." He had stopped fiddling with the box and was now blankly staring at it.

"Doctor?" Donna questioned. "You alright?" "

Hm?" He looked up quickly, as if just snapped from his thoughts. He shook his head. "Yeah, fine!"

"Is there something you need to be telling-"

The tracker beeped loudly, causing everyone to take a step closer.

"What's wrong with you now?" the Doctor asked the box, leaning in a bit to see its workings. His eyes widened, throwing the tracker on the floor and smashing it to pieces, and even smaller with his foot, only adding to the excessive amount of rubble on the floor.

"What the hell's with you!?" Jack exclaimed, grabbing the Doctor's arm and pulling him back.

"That's a reconnaissance signal! Somebody's actually following it!" He sprinted out the beat-up Tardis and into his, Donna, Jack, and Jenny following. The Doctor plugged his sonic into a spot on the console and checked the monitor.

"Doctor, what is it?" Donna asked.

"I was too late...the message relayed..."

"Why does it matter? Anyone that could have received it is dead," Jack noted.

The Doctor ran a hand through his hair, obviously flustered. He tried adjusting a few settings; when nothing changed, he kicked the console with a frustrated cry. "No! That was a second message! The first one must have sent when I reactivated that Tardis; it only sends a second when it has confirmation from it's source to create a steady course!"

"So we're expecting an all-out invasion?" Jack asked.

The Doctor leaned with both hands on the console, his head down. "Afraid so..."


End file.
